


A Walk In The Park

by casstayinmyass



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Bitter Owen, Blind Character, Blind Owen, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Pining Tosh, Short and Sweet 2016, Swearing, Tosh Saves Owen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7067239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Owen Harper, blind since an accident, is out for a walk with his guide dog, Myfanwy. After a call with his best friend Tosh, he slips, and Myfanwy finds the only person she sees fit to help him on the blustery winter night...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Walk In The Park

**Author's Note:**

> I fucking love these two.

Owen Harper pulled his parka tighter to his wiry frame, keeping the leash he held taught to him. The 26 year old could hear his dog, Myfanwy, snorting around in the snow, and he found himself wondering how anyone could ever keep their nose in such frigid cold for so long. He supposed it was her job, though... mapping out the path for him.

Owen had been blind since he was seventeen in a snowboarding accident. He had been with some mates, and there had been a crash with some unattended ski poles... anyway, ever since then, he had no idea what the world looked like; only what it felt like, and what he took from memory.

"Slow down, girl," he muttered, and Myffy obediently stopped, waiting for her master to catch up. Sometimes she got over-excited, but she always made up for it with the licks and nuzzles she gave him later. Owen hated to admit it to anyone, because he was determined to keep his feelings practically non-existent to the public eye, but he loved the dog more than the world. She had gone through so much with him... most recently, his breakup with Diane.

An airline pilot, Diane Holmes was the love of Owen's life... until she wasn't. They had been together for years after meeting in college, but the relationship had since died down since. Owen knew it was done when he had thought about proposing to her, ultimately rejecting the idea- it had been a thing of passion, really- an extremely long-lived fling. The sex was what drove it all, really… and the prospect of living with her wasn't at all what Owen pictured for himself. She decided to move to New Zealand (God knows why), and left Owen in Cardiff with only his dog, his best friend Toshiko, and his crazy day job.  

Tosh made the best bread pudding ever and they both loved listening to Doctor Who audiobooks together in Owen's flat. He also enjoyed visiting her place, because it was only a few blocks down from his flat and the park near it he was currently taking a walk in, and it always smelled of warm apple pie.

Owen's breath made a puff of fog in front of him, and he walked through it as he traced the steps of the well-known cobble path through the little park. It was late at night... 11:00 maybe, and everyone else in the area had gone off either to the clubs or to bed. He yawned, blinking. He quite enjoyed frequenting the clubs on the pull, but right now, sleeping sounded like a perfectly adequate night as opposed to wild sex.

Just as he was visualizing the soft mattress waiting for him back at home, he heard his phone ringing. _Bugger this, it better not be Jack. I hate night calls, especially after a full roster like today._ Pulling it out and hearing it say who it was, he stopped. "Toshiko Mori," it spoke. 

"Answer," Owen said in relief, and put the phone up to his ear. "Fuck, you wouldn't believe the shit day I've had, Tosh," he sighed.

"You wanna talk to me about shit days?” she giggled, “Listen to mine- five minutes into the presentation and he was looking up my skirts again, I could just _tell_!"

"He's an ass," Owen scowled, referencing Tosh's creepy boss of the tech company she worked for, John Hart. "You should report him."

"I have," Tosh deadpanned, "We _all_ have- the whole bloody staff he’s tried to snake into bed. Problem is, he owns the company."

"Bastard," Owen muttered. He had known Tosh forever- he hated seeing her uncomfortable, and was scary protective over her.

"Anyway... onto _your_ shit?" the Japanese woman laughed, and Owen smirked.

"Right, well- _shit_!"

"Yeah, let’s have it, then."

“No, I…”

“What?”

 "It's fucking slippery out here..."

Tosh suddenly dropped her smile. "Are you really going for a walk right now, Owen?! It's nearly midnight!"

"What, 'm gonna get lost in the woods and eaten by a big bad wolf, yeah?" he asked sarcastically, and scoffed. "I'm fine, Tosh. I know where I'm going."

 "I know…” she fretted, “But you could get mugged!”

“I have Myffy. She’ll bite the bloke’s throat out.”

“You could... fall into a garbage can," she added with a hint of a smile.

"Piss off!"

Tosh laughed again, and Owen shook his head.

"Will you at least text me when you get home?" Tosh sighed, checking the clock on her stove.

"’Course, mum."

" _Owen_ ," Tosh admonished.

"God, you sound like Jack," Owen rolled his eyes, thinking of his boss. Owen worked in forensics- specifically, as a lab researcher. His boss was an apathetic sociopath, but at least he had a sense of humor, and didn't actively try to get Owen into bed with him like Hart did with Tosh... he supposed he had it okay. No, all of Jack's sexual energy flowed toward Owen’s boring co-worker, Ianto Jones. The man must have a seriously nice face and he must be a magnificent shag, because judging by the manner in which he talked and the constant use of the word "sir," Ianto wasn't a 10 in Owen's book.

"Jack's mad at you again?"

"Well…” Owen exhaled, recalling the day’s events, “I sort of purposefully fucked up Gwen's field reports after we got into a bit of a scrap over… I don’t know, something-or-other."

"Gwen Cooper?"

"Yeah, her."

"I don't think Gwen's ever forgiven you for last year."

"Oh bugger, so I shagged her a couple times and got disinterested! She's a nice girl, but s’not my fault she was up for it at the time. Cooper’s got to get over me at _some_ point."

"It's quite hard to get over you," Tosh replied before she could stop herself, and Owen hesitated, licking over his chapped lips.

"What?"

"I-I mean, I'd imagine it would be... if you weren’t a total berk!" Tosh laughed, and Owen squinted, chuckling awkwardly.

"Yeah."

"So- get home safe, you. Text me when you're in, and... make yourself some tea."

"Fine, yeah. See you tomorrow, Tosh."

"Of course. Night, Owen. Take-"

As he lowered the phone, he spoke, "Disconnect," and the line cut. Frowning, he wondered what the last little thing she was trying to say was, but shrugged off the curiosity, passing it off as a goodbye.

“-Care,” Tosh whispered, watching the green button blink red. God, she wondered if Owen would ever catch the hint. Maybe she shouldn’t make it too obvious. Maybe some things were left under the surface.

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Owen took another step forward, feeling the bench at his toes. He was almost home. Just as he was stepping back onto the path, he hit another ice patch, and wavered, reaching out to grab something- but there was nothing there. With a sharp yelp, he toppled over, hitting his head on the edge of the bench, and fell flat on his stomach into the snow.

Myffy whined, nudging Owen with her nose. He wasn't responding, and it worried her. She tugged on his jacket as hard as she could, but he wasn't moving. She began to bark, but nobody was around to hear.

-0-0-0-

Tosh took a sip of her white hot chocolate, finishing up the latest episode of Downton Abbey. She was curled up on her couch with a blanket, the snow falling outside, wishing she had some sort of animal for companionship. Or, even more so, her friend. _Speaking of him_ … The brunette checked the time- 12:15. Owen still hadn't texted her... it had been half an hour since the call. She bit her lip, then decided to call again. After five rings and no answer, she knew something was wrong, but she had no idea where he could be. _Maybe if I called the police, they could find him... oh, but if he isn't in trouble? What if he just picked up a girl or something? Knowing Owen, he probably did… God, he'll be pissed at me for weeks if I ruin his night!_

"Owen, you idiot," she whispered, "Where _are_ you?"

Over in the park, Myfanwy had taken to licking Owen's face to keep him warm, but that wasn't going to help all night... she had to find someone. Blood had dried on his head where the impact had been, and his skin was beginning to lose its color with the chill. With one last distressed bark, the smart dog dashed off in the direction of Tosh's place... she had been there a thousand times, and she knew the route well.

Inside, Tosh stood by the window, lip still between her teeth as she waited with her cell in hand. She was beyond worried now. What if he was hurt somewhere? _What if he was...?_ She let her eyes slip shut. If anything ever happened to Owen, she didn't know what she would do. He was her best friend, her anchor... _God, this isn't happening._

Just then, she heard a loud barking noise, and a thump against the front door. Frowning, she ran over and looked out. There was no one on her porch, so... _oh_. Unlocking the door quickly, Tosh let the dog in.

"Myffy! What are you doing here?" Tosh whispered incredulously, scratching the dog's ears affectionately, "Where's Owen?"

The dog barked, and ran circles around Tosh before setting out again. Tosh grabbed her jacket, and followed. "Myffy, wait!" she called, close to tears- she was scared of what she might find. Once the dog came to the park, Tosh saw what she was being led to.

"Owen!" she cried, running over and dropping to her knees. By now, his lips were blue and his eyelashes were frosty, but the faint puff of breath was still present in the frigid night air, thankfully. His body was shaking, shivering compulsively from lying in the snow. "What kind of twat doesn't wear mittens in the winter?!" Tosh muttered, feeling how cold Owen's bare hands were.

"A sexy one," Owen croaked, rousing a little in Tosh's arms, "With wonderful muscles... and a big knob… someone like-"

"Owen!!" She hugged him. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again!" Tosh shrieked, backing up a little, "You scared me half to death!"

"Right, sorry," Owen grimaced sardonically, trying to sit up, "I'm a twat for not texting- I just couldn't help falling into a bench."

Tosh looked away sheepishly. "Why do you walk her so late? You need people to-"

"I can go out for a walk at night, I'm not incompetent!" Owen snapped defensively.

"I never said you were," Tosh snapped back, "I'm saying, you should be more _responsible_."

"Oh, being 26 and unable to go for a walk alone is going to be so much-"

"Oh, why did I even-"

"Of all the-"

Suddenly, Tosh rushed forward, capturing Owen's frozen lips in a warming kiss. Owen was a very volatile person, and Tosh had no idea if he would push her off and never speak to her again, or reciprocate. But after a shocked, tense second, he melted into it, reaching up a hand to cup her face and draw her in deeper.

"Mmm, yeah... don't stop that," Owen murmured against her lips.

"S-stop what?"

"That thing you're doing with your tongue on my... yeah, s'good..." he whispered, and Tosh let out a little squeak of happiness. Owen frowned.

"What?"

"I'm finally doing it!"

" _Finally_?"

"Yes! Owen Harper, you are the most infuriating human being on this planet! I've been in love with you for years."

Owen was quiet for a second, and Tosh wondered if she had gone too far. She knew Owen wasn't a fan of emotional shit like this, with stupid feelings and romance, and-

"I love you too," he replied, then cleared his throat. "It's always been you, Tosh. I can't believe I've been so blind to it."

Tosh realized the irony of what he just said, and after a moment, so did Owen. Tosh collapsed on top of Owen in a fit of giggles, and the man's chest heaved with laughter. He kissed her again.

“Now get off me… I’m freezing my bloody balls off.”

"Right, sorry, sorry… sleepover at mine tonight," Tosh breathed against her friend's mouth, "You need a hot shower, and warm blankets."

"Agreed."

Tosh kissed him on the cheek, and got the shivering Owen up, helping him walk as his head throbbed all the way back to Tosh's place. When they got there and Tosh went to part at the door, Owen grabbed her hand before she could.

"Don't leave," he muttered, then looked away, almost ashamed of his vulnerability, "S-stay with me." Tosh suddenly realized just how scary that whole experience must have been for him, and walked back.

"Well...  I suppose _I_ need a hot shower too," she smiled, "I _did_ just rescue you from the cold, terrifying snow, after all..." Owen's face split into a wide grin.

“Lead the way.”

 


End file.
